"I've heard you should always keep your resume to a single page. How is that possible when you've got 30 years of experience?" -- Kevin W.

© David Alan Carter
All Rights Reserved

Struggling to pare an executive resume down to a single page? You've heard it all your life: keep your resume to a single page. But with decades of work history under your belt, it's getting harder to do. A former recruiter answers the question...
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How Do You Keep A Resume To One Page, With 30 Years Experience?

Kevin, it isn't possible. Or at least, it's not reasonable. Hiring officials and selection committees expect an executive resume to come in at 2-3 pages, so don't sweat the length. The more important admonition is to make sure every word on the document is necessary, powerful, and an enticement to keep reading. There's the challenge.
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Sidebar: If those 30 years of experience have culminated in the need for an executive-level resume, you've got a task ahead of you. You can do it, of course, if you've got some marketing acumen and the time and energy to devote to studying contemporary resume techniques, executive branding, and the development and placement of online identities at sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Profile, etc. That's right, in today's world, you not only need a traditional, fully-formatted, must-read resume, but the job seeker needs to be skilled in the intricacies of social media.

Should you consider outside help? Well, if your field is particularly competitive, or if you're finding it tricky expressing your job qualifications in a promotion -- yet unbiased -- manner, there are a few executive resume writers who can help. One cautionary note: there are many more "executive resume writers" who don't live up to their billing.
( Read why I'm skeptical, and see my one recommendation.)

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